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February 11, 2014 08:06 AM UTC

"If you can't take on Lynn Bartels and Kurtis Lee right now, how on Earth are you going to take on John Hickenlooper in September?"

  • 12 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

rmgobrophy

​Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Brophy took a playful swipe at Denver Post reporters Lynn Bartels and Kurtis Lee yesterday, saying on a Denver radio station that if Scott Gessler and Tom Tancredo "can't take on Lynn Bartels and Kurtis Lee right now, how on Earth are [Gessler and Tancredo] gong to take on John Hickenlooper in September?"

On KNUS' Mandy Connell show, Brophy was making the point that Gessler and Tancredo, who say they won't participate in primary debates, including a Feb. 18 debate sponsored by The Denver Post, should subject themselves to tough questions now, to prepare themselves for battle with Hick, if one of them wins the primary and faces Hick.

Brophy, for example, referred to questions about Tancredo's broken term-limits pledge and his support for gun control, and Gessler's eithics troubles and problems with his office budget.

I'd rather have trained journalists (Bartels, Lee) asking Tancredo questions about term limits, for example, than a geologist (Hick), who's known to be too nice. That's why debates are moderated by journalists! They're the smart ones in the room.

Brophy: I brought up Tom Tancredo's past support of gun control. He needs to be able to talk about that in a way that settles the voters down now, not late September. Secretary Gessler a problem with his office budget. He's upside down by about $4.1 million that no one can explain. And he needs to make is case to the people of Colorado. He needs to make it in February, not in September."

"I mean, come on guys," Brophy said later in the KHOW interview, "if you can't take on Lynn Bartels and Kurtis Lee right now, how on Earth are you gong to take on John Hickenlooper in September? Just come to the debate."

On KNUS' Kelley and Company Feb. 6, Brophy made the same point.

Kelley: Who do you want to challenge most of those five other guys out there?

Brophy: I think we need to ask and have the hard questions answered by Tom Tancredo. Why did you vote for gun control back in 1999. Why did you break your term-limits pledge. What makes us think we can trust you now? Why do you think you can win a general election in Colorado? Secretary Gessler, explain to us why you have to have your budget bailed out by the State of Colorado when every other secretary of state in the history of Colorado has balanced their budget successfully as secretary of state. Explain to us how improper use of office resources for personal political gain was ok back in 2012 when the Ethics Commission found 5-0 against you and ultimately you paid the money back."

Kelley: Folks, we are having a one-way debate right here?

Brophy: You are going to have to answer these questions sometime.

I hope the questions come from Bartels, Lee, and other journalists, not from a geologist-turned-bartender-turned-politician.

 

Comments

12 thoughts on ““If you can’t take on Lynn Bartels and Kurtis Lee right now, how on Earth are you going to take on John Hickenlooper in September?”

  1. I don't think so.

    Lee covered the Committee vote a while back that elected Senator Zenszinger to fill Senator Hudak's vacancy.

    He referred to the Committee members as "hard core Dem activists". He also routinely slammed Senator Hudak and routinely described the baggers running the recall in a positive light.

    No, again no. 

    This is why you have no credibility.

  2. Chickening out of the debates, methinks, has nothing to do with the Post's dynamic duo of trained journalists.'' They'd lay cream puff after cream puff on the GOTPers. Rather, it's the dodgers trying to make a statement about the alleged liberal media.

     

    1. I completely agree with you. It really plays well with bag nation when candidates do exactly that.

      palin was among the first to come up with the strategy. In her VP debate she said "Rather than answer your question, I'm taking my case directly to the "people". Ten she inferred how "real Americans" were afraid of the black guy, liberals, and socialists". And that was after Gwen Ifel asked her about the bush administration's incompetent handling of the just breaking banking catastrophe.

      It works really well with a base that's not really looking for solutions or actual governing forward, but lives on quick hitter sound bytes, insults, and very broad, vague statements that have nothing to do with actual policy, beliefs, or positions.

      Her "performance" actually played really well in republican world. The book Game Change really described the euphoria in the conservative base. Not that she offered insight or competence, but that she coded out the mean spirited personality of the republican party. 

      bag nation, angry, entitled, christ-ee  white conservatives eat this stuff up. It's backwards and upside down,, but somehow, some way, craven teabag politicians look "tough" and "mean", "one of us", to the right wing, by being cowardly. 

       

       

  3. Hick will campaign as a moderate and will keep a low profile.  He's well ahead in the polls so there's no reason to go negative, or to participate in more than one or two debates.  Hick's campaign will focus on the positive and may even display some of his wacky humor or mannerisms, which is his trademark.

      1. Hick will do all he can to exhibit a likeable persona.  Indeed, a likeable, smiling candidate will score more points with voters than a strident, overly serious candidate or one that goes negative.  Take Mitt Romney for example … although I voted for him.

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